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that's why, when every connection counts... you can count on us. tonight only on 7, you see him right here. engineers and doctors working together to make your c pap machine an emergency ventilator. could wearing cloth face masks make a difference in the fight against covid-19? the guidelines just issued in the bay area. you may have heard of "the bachelor." but have you heard of quarantine bachelor? it's an online series where instead of a rose, you get a roll of toilet paper. i'm meteorologist sandhya patel tracking a pair of storms for your weekend. hour-by-hour timeline is coming up. abc7 news at 11:00 starts right now. >> now, your health, your safety, this is abc7 news. >> there are now more than one million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide. more than 11,000 are here in

california. but there could be far more. the state has a massive backlog of 59,000 pending tests, and it's growing, leaving an incomplete picture of how widespread this outbreak really is here. a stunning surge in weekly unemployment claims. 6.6 million across the country. 111,000 californians file for unemployment every day. >> the economic consequences are profound. the president announces a new economic task force to help speed up the recovery. and now bay officials are recommending face covers. the cdc is soon expected to follow suit. >> if people wanted to wear them, they can. >> the bay area and santa cruz county have nearly 3,000 confirmed coronavirus cases tonight. there are 230 more than we had this time last night. 73 people have died, including the first reported case from solano county. santa clara county leads the bay area with confirmed cases with more than a thousand.

to the north, mendocino county reported at least four confirmed cases. lake county remains unchanged with no positive cases reported. tonight the case is growing stronger that americans should wear masks when they venture outdoors. >> there has been a lot of debate about that. today health officials recommended the use of cloth face covers, but those are very different from the masks needed by medical professionals. >> amanda del castillo explains. >> hand washing, social dista e distancing shelter in place. there now debate on a nationwide level about whether wearing cloth face masks can make a difference. >> the reason why the conversation is coming up now and why the cdc may revise their guidelines, because we're getting more and more evidence when people can spread this when they have no symptoms at all, or even a couple of days before they develop the actual infection. >> the world health organization maintains only people who are sick or are taking care of someone who is ill should wear

masks. president trump says new guidelines would stop short of requiring all americans to wear a cloth face cover. >> you can use something else over your face. it doesn't have to be a mask. but it's not a bad idea, at least for a period of time. >> officials say when considering a face mask, cloth is the key word. medical experts worry we run the risk of a public panic, people hoarding medical grade masks, keeping n95s and other supplies from health care workers who desperately need them. on thursday president trump invoked the defense production act. >> you have to remember, for every n95 the public is using, that's one less an n95 on the front line and one potential life at risk, whether it be a health or a patient's life. >> resident anita has already made a habit of wearing a face mask in public. >> at least two weeks. and why?

because i believe the germs are in the air. and why would i breathe them in? >> in san jose, i'm amanda del castillo, abc7 news. >> of course a lot of those have those masks on hand from the wildfires we see so often here in the bay area. the ventilator is the one medical advice that is key to fighting covid-19. tonight in a story you'll only see on 7, a group of doctor, engineers and students may have found another device that could help save lives in an emergency. here is abc7 news reporter jair stone. >> i have sleep apnea. this is the machine. >> reporter: a c-pap machine that engineer and executive brian martell foundation can be and should be used as an emergency ventilator. he is part of a group of engineers and medical doctors from uc berkeley and uc san francisco who are now locking for support from local, state and federal leaders. >> this is a last resort option. >> they're part of the covid-19

ventilator rapid response team way for the proper fittings and tubes to refurbish c-pap and bi-pap devices that would allow them to be used as ventilators in emergency situations. >> there is tents with 300 people in them and they don't have ventilators, here is a solution. so this is a backup solution. >> the group is asking for those willing to donate these machines to register their devices on ventilator sos.com. less than an hour after we learned of this, at least two viewers offered to give away their backup c pap devices. >> definitely. i would love to help. >> i would be more than happy to donate it. it's right here. got it from a friend of a friend. >> dr. darya says these devices would be used in moderate devices of covid-19 where the patient is suffering but still able to breathe on their own. it would free up ventilators for more critical patients. >> if we don't think about it now, in two weeks and four weeks

when the surge can potentially happen, we can be overwhelmed. >> a reason why the group is acting now in hopes of getting the word out. jr stone, abc7 news. >> some of the other bay area headlines tonight, six people have tested positive for covid-19 at canyon springs post acute care center in east san jose. they are in isolation. another 24 are still waiting for test results. target says starting saturday, it will actively monitor, and when needed meter guest traffic. employees will be given face masks and gloves to wear at work. san francisco city hall announced grants and loans for businesses hit hard by coronavirus. meantime, governor newsom says tonight more than 1.9 million californians have filed for unemployment since march 12th. last week alone, there were more than 878,000 new claims. newsom says the state is handling about 111,000 claims every day.

newsom made several other announcements today. a one-year reprieve on sales tax for small businesses. a reimbursement program for bitzs that continue to pay employees. and a website to link people with observe jobs. more than 70,000 in four industries. >> health care being one of those four areas. agriculture is looking for workforce. logistics, broadly defined, be that transportation, warehousing and the like, the logistics sector is in need of support. and of course grocers. >> governor newsom is expected to give -- the website onward c.org will direct californians to thousands of jobs. from the home page, click on the connect to resources and jobs link. you'll then be taken to a form to fill out. put your name, email and zip code. if you want, you can add type of work, when you want to work and preferred industry. but those things aren't

required. next, click submit and click on jobs and then search. a list of jobs will then auto populate. again, the website is onwardca.org. we also have a link on our website, abc7news.com. >> and governor newsom is expected to give an update tomorrow on the state's efforts to protect homeless people during this outbreak. this comes as the city of san francisco has its first confirmed case of coronavirus inside one of its homeless shelters. a person staying at the division circle navigation center tested positive for covid-19. that person is now recovering at an isolation hotel. residents are now being screened for the virus. anyone with symptoms will be tested and relocated, put into isolation along with anyone at high risk of being pushing to move all homeless people into hotels. >> that navigation center sits in my district, and i will fight to get every one of those residents, like all of my constituents, inside, sheltering in place and safe.

>> shelter guests will now be supplied with masks to wear at all times. in the east bay, fremont is set to open a free drive-through coronavirus testing center tomorrow. to get a test, a person must have a seartemperature over 100 degrees and have coronavirus symptoms. located at the fire tactical training center on stevenson boulevard. earlier today we focused on some of the culture stigmas connected with coronavirus during a town hall. we with people from a variety of different backgrounds. they shared misconception. >> the virus doesn't care what race you are. it really doesn't matter if you're poor or you're rich. it reallepds on how many people in that community have it. >> you can watch our entire virtual town hall by visiting our website, abc7news.com, or on -- or free on our abc7 news app. i'm dan noyes in sunnyvale.

coming up, a woman's life-changing prescription is cut off because the drug may be a treatment for coronavirus. i investigate. taking extra precautions. why some doctors are being asked to shave their beards. coming up next, we'll explain a new online dating series called "quarantine bachel bachelor" where instead of a rose, you get toilet paper. i'm meteorologist sandhya patel tracking back-to-back storms for your weekend. vial the hour-by-hour timeline coming up. >> sandhya, thanks. and catch a special edition of "nightline" right after abc7 news at 11:00. tonight's focus is on the coronavirus hot spots across the united states. that's followed by "jimmy kimmel live!" at

>> south bay woman's supply of life-changing medication has been cut off because officials at kaiser permanente say they have to save the drug for

seriously ill coronavirus patients. but the medication hasn't been proven to be effective for covid-19 just yet. i-team reporter dan noyes has been investigating. >> so much has happened on this issue in just the past week. demand for the drug soared after president trump mentioned it during husband daily covid-19 briefings. 47-year-old mara capio was a hospital social worker from sunnyvale who developed sjogren's syndrome. after the birth of her second child. the syndrome causes pain and makes it more 50 to fight off infection. >> i noticed i started having achy joints in my hands and feet and knees. >> for 16 years she had a prescription for hydroxychloroquine. but last week, mara's doctor at kaiser permanente emailed her we are not able to refill your hydroxychloroquine refill at this time. it's now reserved for those who are the most ill from covid-19. >> if it is the miracle cure, i'd be okay with that. but the fact that that's not even the case yet, and they don't even know if that's an option, and they're already

limiting medications, it's very frustrating. >> the pharmacist gave mara a final two-week supply. she has cut the pills in half to make them last long earp. in a statement to the i-team, kaiser's doctor writes we are sorry the concern this may cause. we have asked our physicians to work with our patients to convert when appropriate from hydroxychloroquine to very good alternative other medications. but mara tells me other medications have serious side effects, and she is worried about her symptoms returning. >> it's just going to severely impact me being able to go to work. >> and your ability to function? >> definitely, yeah. raising my three children, a single mom. >> that is not the right way we should be doing medicine. >> dr. michael ackerman of the mayo clinic tells me hydroxychloroquine is relatively easy to manufacture. so supplies should not be an issue. >> as tragic as covid-19 pandemic is, our patients out there with lupus and sjogren's who are being therapeutically helped by these medications,

they deserve to stay on their medications. >> hydroxychloroquine. >> demand for the drug soared once president trump began promoting it as a possible covid-19 treatment at his news conferences, including this week. the fda's drug shortage database now lists hydroxychloroquine as currently in shortage. it's going through clinical trials as a possible coronavirus treatment. >> the good news is we haven't heard anything bad. in other words, there have been no catastrophic events. >> but dr. ackerman published this study one week ago that finds patients at risk of drug-induced sudden cardiac death from off-label treatments including hydroxychloroquine. he told me 10% of the population may be at risk of dangerous side effects to the heart and 1% of people are especially high risk. >> 1% of a million is 10,000 patients who are at legitimately increased risk for a tragedy from the treatment itself.

>> anecdotal evidence is coming in that hydroxychloroquine may help treat coronavirus. >> 64. i'm happy to be alive. >> retired santa clara county detective gary brady contracted coronavirus, as did his wife and children. he was seriously ill and had preexisting conditions. but after doctors gave him hydroxychloroquine, brady tells me he bounced back. >> and i was only there in intensive care five days, and i was out. they sent me home with the breathing machines, and the doctor said tomorrow i can take myself off them because my oxygen level is better. three days ago, i couldn't even talk to you like this. i couldn't even carry on a conversation. >> we are seeing a range of actions by companies that make hydroxychloroquine. one has donated a million doses to the state of texas. while some overseas companies are banning exports to the u.s. for the i-team, dan noyes, abc7 news. in the south bay, a massive effort is under way to ensure that santa clara county's 11

hospitals are ready for a surge in covid-19 cases. today the county unveiled a new digital dashboard outlining the number of ventilators and hospital beds currently available. meantime, the santa clara convention center is being converted into a federal medical station with 250 beds. in richmond, an old ford factory that was converted to build tanks during world war ii is being converted again into an emergency medical center for a possible surge in covid-19 cases. >> we are working to double hospital capacity in contra costa from 1100 beds to about 2200 beds. >> it's a giant space. and it has all of the capable infrastructure to support something lucky this. >> national guard groups spent ectated if other g t 2 .ta w medical centers are overwhelmed with patients. even then, it will only care for nonlife-threatening cases to free up aexecute care beds for the most seriously ill patients.

many health care workers are now showing up to work clean-shaven so their n95 masks can fit properly. dr. ethan weiss tweeted this photo last month. he has had a beard for 20 years but shaved it so his mask will fit properly. minnesota's staff is requiring all staff to be chi'en shaven to make sure they're wearing masks correctly. if they cannot shave, they have to wear a different more cumbersome respirator. check out the top of the salesforce tower. tonight it was illuminated with clapping hands in support of first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. >> that is nice. we are familiar with working from home. what about dating from home? two san franciscans started an online dating series based off "the bachelor" here on abc. lauren martinez is in the newsroom to explain, lauren, how this thing works. >> dan, it's called "quarantine

bachelor," and the greaters behind this instagram account thought why not create a virtual online dating show while we shelter in place. they launched it a couple weeks ago and now have hundreds of applicants from all over the country. >> addison? i think we have a lot in common, and it would great for you to receive my roll. >> i will roll accept your roll. thank you. >> james and tyler created the instagram online dating series called "quarantine bachelor" off the popular television reality series. >> instead of a rose, it's a roll. instead of an engagement ring, it's a date. >> they launched their first season less than two weeks ago. >> hi, guys. i'm kenzie. i'm 23 years old and i'm currently quarantined in reno, nevada. >> five contestants from around the country were chosen. richard shaw, based out of san francisco, is their first bachelor there is a group meet and greet, and the virtual dates are edited down future a couple

of minutes for everyone to see. >> everyone has their own opinion and objections to what you may say or do. it's definitely a challenge. >> and there is no hard feelings. >> i'm sorry things didn't work out between us, but i know that i have six amazing new friends. >> it's just been so fun. it got me out of my comfort zone, which i know is something i really need to be working on. >> modern problems i guess need modern solutions. and i felt this was kind of an important way to let love grow still during shelter in place. >> we caught richard right before his final roll ceremony. >> yeah, i'm excited for the opportunity. and to see if it can go anywhere. and if not, again, it's a great experience. >> the final roll ceremony will be posted on instagram tomorrow night around 5:00. they're hoping to get more applicants so they can launch same-sex couples series as well. and there is no cost to participate. reporting live in the newsroom, lauren martinez, abc7 news. >> that's clever and a crackup,

lauren. thanks a lot. will you accept this roll of toilet paper. sandhya, we're just going to give you time for weather. we're not passing the toilet paper over to you. >> hi, sandhya. >> oh, come on, now, send me some toilet paper. i have plenty of it here. dan and ama, we're going to start talking about the forecast because your weekend is almost here. and as you take a look at live doppler 7, there are a pair of storms that we're tracking. so the first one is going to get us wet on saturday. the second one is a stronger storm. we need it. take a look at rainfall percent of average. 40% san francisco. sfo, oakland currently 52% in santa rosa. san jose, you're behind 45%. and san francisco downtown 49% of average. on live doppler 7, no rain yet,n your temperatures right now in the 40s, 50 we do have fair skies. tomorrow morning witeoing t seeing the temperatures plunging. freeze warnings for the interior portions of lake and mendocino

counties. but we also have frost advisories for other pars of those counties. 2:00 to 9:00 a.m. expecting patchy frost. protect the frost-sensitive plants and bring in pets. around freezing near lakeport. temperatures in the 30s, 40s elsewhere. here is a lovely live picture from our san jose camera as we look at the shark tank. visibility is good. now tomorrow afternoon, it's going to be bright. it's going to be breezy. it is going to be mild. 59 degrees in half moon bay all the way to 67 in fairfield. everyone else pretty much in between. enjoy the sunshine. get any of your essential needs done, because a level 1 storm coming in for the weekend. rain will be briefly heavy at times. chance of thunder and even high elevation snow. so 8:00 a.m. saturday. it's already wet across the bay area. we're looking at noontime. definitely need the umbrellas, if you need to step out for any reason. saturday night as well. sierra is going to be getting quite a bit of snow. sunday is a wet one with the potential for some hail and thunderstorms, as we head into sunday night, the system doesn't

completely wind down. we still have showers coming your way. so rainfall totals will range anywhere from upwards of an inch in the wetest north bay spots to a third of an inch in the east bay. turns to mountain snow. winter storm watch for the sierra. up to 3 feet expected with significant travel delays. accuweather seven-day forecast. it's a sunny, breezy friday. level 1 for saturday, sunday, and monday, with cooler weather and then we will see a little bit of unsettled weather midweek with a slight chance to chance of showers. so get outside and get your errands done tomorrow. i know we're limited in the amount of time we can spend outside. dan and ama? >> and sandia, you actually have a new blog. can you tell us about that? >> absolutely. so you just have to go to our website, abc7news.com, or follow me on social media. i started the blog a few weeks ago because i really felt that in this crisis, we needed to talk about how we were feeling. and i honestly felt overwhelmed.

there was so much to do, trying to juggle kids and schooling at home, to work to stay at home. i mean, there was so much to say, so much to do. i wanted other people to know that they were all in this together, and hopefully they can relate and hopefully this will help them out. >> excellent. >> thank you, sandhya. >> we'll check that out. thanks. tomorrow on good morning america, i like liberty mutual. they get that no two people are alike and customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. what do you think? i don't see it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

until i found out what itst it actually was.ed me. dust mite droppings! eeeeeww!

dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust on my floors, my sweeper's on it. the textured cloths grab and hold dirt and hair no matter where dust bunnies hide. no more heebie jeebies. phew. glad i stopped cleaning and started swiffering. china finds cats can get coronavirus, but american researchers say pet owners shouldn't panic. there is no direct evidence cats could pass it on to people. of course most of the bay area is on a virtual lockdown for another month at least. so how have things chaoubcws vi. here iday

♪ ♪

staying hwill without athe doubt, save lives. and, critical things like food, pharmacies, laundromats and more remain available. those who work in health, food supply and law enforcement will continue to perform their jobs. programs like paid sick leave, unemployment, and others will also still continue. if you do leave home, keep six feet between you and others. we are all in this together. learn more at covid19.ca.gov.

now sports from abc7 news. >> good afternoon. this afternoon on abc7, we held a virtual town hall on the coronavirus and racism. the point being the enemy is the

virus, not other people who had nothing to do with it spreading. among those contributing new giants manager gabe kapler and warriors coach steve kerr. >> hi, everybody. just a reminder, be kind and generous out there when you see people in the community. we have a responsibility to one another to protect each other. >> viruses don't discriminate. please help our community get better by being kind. >> if you get a chance, if you see any kind of hate, bigotry, put a stop to it. >> that starts with stopping bigotry when you see it. just don't stand for it. remember, we're all better together. >> we are much better together. and remember, this virus does not discrimina thank you. >> thank you, steve kerr. and this is how a championship organization operates. the warriors foundation with peter lacob plus the players chipping in has increased its contribution to 1.four million

for part-time employees who work the home game. it's tax-free. the warriors champions on and off the court. similarly, patriots owner robert kraft, he purchased over a million n95 masks, used the plane's private plane to transport them from china. they'll go to health care workers on the front lines in massachusetts and new york. so last night a golf simulation on instagram live. today it's a new vlog for steph curry, staying busy in his towntime. he filmed this hilarious trni session with comedian kevin hart. >> raise your energy. what's up, everybody. how do you start it? >> the button, the bell? >> you don't click it until you done the video. >> more comes. it's going to be official. >> now stop it. kids, another message. if you're going to be on social media, don't do that. if i could do one thing, i'd make sure there were more textbooks in schools.

i'm a teacher. i've seen the need, but my girlfriend here likes to say ... "don't just talk about it, be about it." and we're about the 2020 census. because when everyone gets counted on the census, it helps inform public funding in our neighborhood for the next ten years! don't just talk about it - -be about it! complete the census online, by phone or by mail. shape your future. start here at 2020census.gov. whaso let's do the rightver chanthing, today.ow.. let's stay at home. let's wash up. let's always keep our distance - please, six feet apart at least. let's look after ourselves, as well as others. it will all be worth it. we can all do our part. so those on the front line can do their part. and when this is over, we will all, continue, to thrive.

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that's our report this thursday. we appreciate your time. . this is "nightline". >> tonight, emerging hotspots prepping for the worst. covid19 cases spiking in louisiana. if katrina was hell what is this? >> we're at hell's gates. >> michigan. >> i think it's fair to say detroit is getting crushed right now. >> georgia. >> we're not safe in rural america. >> across the country, the race to contain the deadly disease. i've ever seen. >> plus, on the offense. michigan governor gretchen whitmer. >> whitmer stills. >> fighting for her state, with the death toll rising. >> i am concerned about our allotment from the national stockpile, not meeting our needs. >> preparing for the pandemic but not playing politics. >> it's clear that you and president trump are having issu